scholarly journals Using rapid online surveys to assess perceptions during infectious disease outbreaks: a cross-sectional survey on Covid-19 among the general public in the United States and United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Geldsetzer
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Household Income ◽  
General Public ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Online Surveys ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The Us ◽  
Total Household Income ◽  
The Uk

AbstractBackgroundGiven the extensive time needed to conduct a nationally representative household survey and the commonly low response rate in phone surveys, rapid online surveys may be a promising method to assess and track knowledge and perceptions among the general public during fast-moving infectious disease outbreaks.ObjectiveTo apply rapid online surveying to determine knowledge and perceptions of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) among the general public in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK).MethodsAn online questionnaire was administered to 3,000 adults residing in the US and 3,000 adults residing in the UK who had registered with Prolific Academic to participate in online research. Strata by age (18 - 27, 28 - 37, 38 - 47, 48 - 57, or ≥58 years), sex (male or female), and ethnicity (White, Black or African American, Asian or Asian Indian, Mixed, or “Other”), and all permutations of these strata, were established. The number of participants who could enrol in each of these strata was calculated to reflect the distribution in the US and UK general population. Enrolment into the survey within the strata was on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants completed the questionnaire between February 23 and March 2 2020.Results2,986 and 2,988 adults residing in the US and the UK, respectively, completed the questionnaire. 64.4% (1,924/2,986) of US and 51.5% (1,540/2,988) of UK participants had a tertiary education degree. 67.5% (2,015/2,986) of US participants had a total household income between $20,000 and $99,999, and 74.4% (2,223/2,988) of UK participants had a total household income between £15,000 and £74,999. US and UK participants’ median estimate for the probability of a fatal disease course among those infected with SARS-CoV-2 was 5.0% (IQR: 2.0% – 15.0%) and 3.0% (IQR: 2.0% – 10.0%), respectively. Participants generally had good knowledge of the main mode of disease transmission and common symptoms of Covid-19. However, a substantial proportion of participants had misconceptions about how to prevent an infection and the recommended care-seeking behavior. For instance, 37.8% (95% CI: 36.1% – 39.6%) of US and 29.7% (95% CI: 28.1% – 31.4%) of UK participants thought that wearing a common surgical mask was ‘highly effective’ in protecting them from acquiring Covid-19. 25.6% (95% CI: 24.1% – 27.2%) of US and 29.6% (95% CI: 28.0% – 31.3%) of UK participants thought it prudent to refrain from eating at Chinese restaurants. Around half (53.8% [95% CI: 52.1% – 55.6%] of US and 39.1% [95% CI: 37.4% –40.9%] of UK participants) thought that children were at an especially high risk of death when infected with SARS-CoV-2.ConclusionsThe distribution of participants by total household income and education followed approximately that of the general population. The findings from this online survey could guide information campaigns by public health authorities, clinicians, and the media. More broadly, rapid online surveys could be an important tool in tracking the public’s knowledge and misperceptions during rapidly moving infectious disease outbreaks.

scholarly journals Use of Rapid Online Surveys to Assess People's Perceptions During Infectious Disease Outbreaks: A Cross-sectional Survey on COVID-19 (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Geldsetzer
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Online Surveys ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Total Household Income

BACKGROUND Given the extensive time needed to conduct a nationally representative household survey and the commonly low response rate of phone surveys, rapid online surveys may be a promising method to assess and track knowledge and perceptions among the general public during fast-moving infectious disease outbreaks. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to apply rapid online surveying to determine knowledge and perceptions of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among the general public in the United States and the United Kingdom. METHODS An online questionnaire was administered to 3000 adults residing in the United States and 3000 adults residing in the United Kingdom who had registered with Prolific Academic to participate in online research. Prolific Academic established strata by age (18-27, 28-37, 38-47, 48-57, or ≥58 years), sex (male or female), and ethnicity (white, black or African American, Asian or Asian Indian, mixed, or “other”), as well as all permutations of these strata. The number of participants who could enroll in each of these strata was calculated to reflect the distribution in the US and UK general population. Enrollment into the survey within each stratum was on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants completed the questionnaire between February 23 and March 2, 2020. RESULTS A total of 2986 and 2988 adults residing in the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively, completed the questionnaire. Of those, 64.4% (1924/2986) of US participants and 51.5% (1540/2988) of UK participants had a tertiary education degree, 67.5% (2015/2986) of US participants had a total household income between US $20,000 and US $99,999, and 74.4% (2223/2988) of UK participants had a total household income between £15,000 and £74,999. US and UK participants’ median estimate for the probability of a fatal disease course among those infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was 5.0% (IQR 2.0%-15.0%) and 3.0% (IQR 2.0%-10.0%), respectively. Participants generally had good knowledge of the main mode of disease transmission and common symptoms of COVID-19. However, a substantial proportion of participants had misconceptions about how to prevent an infection and the recommended care-seeking behavior. For instance, 37.8% (95% CI 36.1%-39.6%) of US participants and 29.7% (95% CI 28.1%-31.4%) of UK participants thought that wearing a common surgical mask was “highly effective” in protecting them from acquiring COVID-19, and 25.6% (95% CI 24.1%-27.2%) of US participants and 29.6% (95% CI 28.0%-31.3%) of UK participants thought it was prudent to refrain from eating at Chinese restaurants. Around half (53.8%, 95% CI 52.1%-55.6%) of US participants and 39.1% (95% CI 37.4%-40.9%) of UK participants thought that children were at an especially high risk of death when infected with SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSIONS The distribution of participants by total household income and education followed approximately that of the US and UK general population. The findings from this online survey could guide information campaigns by public health authorities, clinicians, and the media. More broadly, rapid online surveys could be an important tool in tracking the public’s knowledge and misperceptions during rapidly moving infectious disease outbreaks.

scholarly journals Use of Rapid Online Surveys to Assess People's Perceptions During Infectious Disease Outbreaks: A Cross-sectional Survey on COVID-19

10.2196/18790 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. e18790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Geldsetzer
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Online Surveys ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Total Household Income

Background Given the extensive time needed to conduct a nationally representative household survey and the commonly low response rate of phone surveys, rapid online surveys may be a promising method to assess and track knowledge and perceptions among the general public during fast-moving infectious disease outbreaks. Objective This study aimed to apply rapid online surveying to determine knowledge and perceptions of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among the general public in the United States and the United Kingdom. Methods An online questionnaire was administered to 3000 adults residing in the United States and 3000 adults residing in the United Kingdom who had registered with Prolific Academic to participate in online research. Prolific Academic established strata by age (18-27, 28-37, 38-47, 48-57, or ≥58 years), sex (male or female), and ethnicity (white, black or African American, Asian or Asian Indian, mixed, or “other”), as well as all permutations of these strata. The number of participants who could enroll in each of these strata was calculated to reflect the distribution in the US and UK general population. Enrollment into the survey within each stratum was on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants completed the questionnaire between February 23 and March 2, 2020. Results A total of 2986 and 2988 adults residing in the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively, completed the questionnaire. Of those, 64.4% (1924/2986) of US participants and 51.5% (1540/2988) of UK participants had a tertiary education degree, 67.5% (2015/2986) of US participants had a total household income between US $20,000 and US $99,999, and 74.4% (2223/2988) of UK participants had a total household income between £15,000 and £74,999. US and UK participants’ median estimate for the probability of a fatal disease course among those infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was 5.0% (IQR 2.0%-15.0%) and 3.0% (IQR 2.0%-10.0%), respectively. Participants generally had good knowledge of the main mode of disease transmission and common symptoms of COVID-19. However, a substantial proportion of participants had misconceptions about how to prevent an infection and the recommended care-seeking behavior. For instance, 37.8% (95% CI 36.1%-39.6%) of US participants and 29.7% (95% CI 28.1%-31.4%) of UK participants thought that wearing a common surgical mask was “highly effective” in protecting them from acquiring COVID-19, and 25.6% (95% CI 24.1%-27.2%) of US participants and 29.6% (95% CI 28.0%-31.3%) of UK participants thought it was prudent to refrain from eating at Chinese restaurants. Around half (53.8%, 95% CI 52.1%-55.6%) of US participants and 39.1% (95% CI 37.4%-40.9%) of UK participants thought that children were at an especially high risk of death when infected with SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions The distribution of participants by total household income and education followed approximately that of the US and UK general population. The findings from this online survey could guide information campaigns by public health authorities, clinicians, and the media. More broadly, rapid online surveys could be an important tool in tracking the public’s knowledge and misperceptions during rapidly moving infectious disease outbreaks.

scholarly journals The use of simulation to prepare and improve responses to infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19: practical tips and resources from Norway, Denmark, and the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Dieckmann ◽  
Kjetil Torgeirsen ◽  
Sigrun Anna Qvindesland ◽  
Libby Thomas ◽  
Verity Bushell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The Uk

Infectious Diseases, Stock Market Volatility, and Public Opinion on Home Buying in the United States: Implications from COVID-19 and Beyond

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 859-871
Author(s):  
Christopher Olds
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Equity Markets ◽  
The United States ◽  
Market Volatility ◽  
Stock Market Volatility ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Buying In

The study evaluates whether there are limits to an excess in consumptive behaviors during periods where infectious disease outbreaks produce unpredictable changes in equity markets. While there is evidence of panic buying in these periods such that people increasingly acquire goods that they do not actually need, this does not mean that people will acquire items if their purchase has significant risk tied to them. Using time series information across 35 years, the empirical analyses show that people are less likely to think buying a home is a good idea due to change in the level of equity market volatility brought about by infectious diseases. Even though panic buying occurs during epidemics and pandemics, this is not an indication that decision-making about purchases is wholly irrational. In uncertain times when infectious disease outbreaks make equity markets unpredictable, people rationally seek to minimize the level of personal losses they experience as much as possible.

scholarly journals Italian Adults’ Likelihood of Getting COVID-19 Vaccine: A Second Online Survey

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 268
Author(s):  
Luigi Roberto Biasio ◽  
Guglielmo Bonaccorsi ◽  
Chiara Lorini ◽  
Daniela Mazzini ◽  
Sergio Pecorelli
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Online Surveys ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Early Phases

Rapid online surveys are an important tool for tracking the public’s knowledge and perceptions during infectious disease outbreaks. In June 2020, during the early phases of COVID-19 vaccines development, we conducted a survey in 885 Italian adults that aimed at assessing their attitudes and opinions about vaccination, in addition to their vaccine literacy levels (i.e., skills in finding, understanding, and using information about vaccines). In January 2021, the same questionnaire was administered to a similar population (n = 160). Interactive vaccine literacy was significantly higher in January 2021 than in June 2020 (mean score 3.38 vs. 3.27 respectively, p = 0.0021). The percentage of participants willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 assessed by either-or questions, was equally high in both surveys (>90%), which is quite reassuring, although metrics based on categorical scales cannot identify hesitant subjects.

scholarly journals Italian Adults’ Likelihood of Getting COVID-19 Vaccine: A Second Online Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Roberto Biasio ◽  
Guglielmo Bonaccorsi ◽  
Chiara Lorini ◽  
Daniela Mazzini ◽  
Sergio Pecorelli
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Online Surveys ◽  
The Public ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Early Phases

Rapid online surveys are an important tool in tracking the public’s knowledge and perceptions during infectious disease outbreaks. In June 2020, during the early phases of COVID-19 vaccines development, a survey had been conducted, aimed at assessing attitudes and opinions about vaccination of 885 Italian adults, in addition to their vaccine literacy levels (i.e. skills of finding, understanding and using information about vaccines). In January 2021, the same questionnaire has been administered to a similar population (n=160). Interactive vaccine literacy was significantly higher than in June 2020 (mean score 3.38 vs 3.27 respectively, P=.0021). The percentage of participants willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 was assessed by the means of either-or questions, and was equally high in both surveys (>90%), which is quite reassuring, despite metrics based on categorical scales cannot identify hesitant subjects.

Global Research Activity on Health System Preparedness Against Viral Infectious Disease Outbreaks

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Waleed M. Sweileh
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Health System ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
African Region ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Bibliometric Method ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Viral Infectious Disease

Abstract Objective: The present study aimed to give an overview of research publications on health system preparedness against viral infectious disease outbreaks. Methods: A bibliometric method was implemented from 2001 to 2020. The studied pathogens were dengue, Ebola, influenza, Zika, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Results: The search query returned 501 documents. The growth of publications showed a sharp peak in 2020 for COVID-19 and 3 small peaks in 2006, 2009, and 2015 for SARS, influenza, and Ebola, respectively. Of the retrieved documents, 208 (41.5%) were on influenza, 164 (32.7%) were on COVID-19, and 83 (16.6%) were on Ebola. Countries in the region of the Americas (n = 221; 44.1%) returned the majority of the documents, while countries in Latin America and the African region returned the least. The United States (n = 197; 39.3%) had a leading role in this field. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (n = 51; 10.2%) ranked first, followed by the Johns Hopkins University (n = 16; 3.2%). The Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal (n = 21; 4.2%) ranked first. International research collaboration was relatively inadequate. Conclusions: Research on preparedness against infectious diseases was episodic. Research collaboration needs to be prioritized for countries with a history of fatal outbreaks.

scholarly journals The role of dedicated biocontainment patient care units in preparing for COVID-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Jade B. Flinn ◽  
Noreen A. Hynes ◽  
Lauren M. Sauer ◽  
Lisa L. Maragakis ◽  
Brian T. Garibaldi
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Preparedness Planning ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Unit Operations ◽  
The Us

Abstract In response to the Ebola outbreak of 2014–2016, the US Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) established 10 regional treatment centers, called biocontainment units (BCUs), to prepare and provide care for patients infected with high-consequence pathogens. Many of these BCUs were among the first units to activate for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient care. The activities of the Johns Hopkins BCU helped prepare the Johns Hopkins Health System for COVID-19 in the 3 domains of containment care: (1) preparedness planning, education and training, (2) patient care and unit operations, and (3) research and innovation. Here, we describe the role of the JH BCU in the Hopkins COVID-19 response to illustrate the value of BCUs in the current pandemic and their potential role in preparing healthcare facilities and health systems for future infectious disease threats.

scholarly journals A Case History in Cooperative Biological Research: Compendium of Studies and Program Analyses in Kazakhstan

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Yeh ◽  
Parekh ◽  
Musralina ◽  
Sansyzbai ◽  
Tabynov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Biological Weapons ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The Us ◽  
Funding Opportunities

Kazakhstan and the United States have partnered since 2003 to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The US Department of Defense (US DoD) has funded threat reduction programs to eliminate biological weapons, secure material in repositories that could be targeted for theft, and enhance surveillance systems to monitor infectious disease outbreaks that would affect national security. The cooperative biological research (CBR) program of the US DoD’s Biological Threat Reduction Program has provided financing, mentorship, infrastructure, and biologic research support to Kazakhstani scientists and research institutes since 2005. The objective of this paper is to provide a historical perspective for the CBR involvement in Kazakhstan, including project chronology, successes and challenges to allow lessons learned to be applied to future CBR endeavors. A project compendium from open source data and interviews with partner country Kazakhstani participants, project collaborators, and stakeholders was developed utilizing studies from 2004 to the present. An earlier project map was used as a basis to determine project linkages and continuations during the evolution of the CBR program. It was determined that consistent and effective networking increases the chances to collaborate especially for competitive funding opportunities. Overall, the CBR program has increased scientific capabilities in Kazakhstan while reducing their risk of biological threats. However, there is still need for increased scientific transparency and an overall strategy to develop a capability-based model to better enhance and sustain future research. Finally, we offer a living perspective that can be applied to further link related studies especially those related to One Health and zoonoses and the assessment of similar capability-building programs.

Rodent-borne infectious disease outbreaks after flooding disasters: Epidemiology, management, and prevention

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 459 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Diaz, MD, DrPH
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Hemorrhagic Fever ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Objective: To alert clinicians to the climatic conditions that can precipitate outbreaks of the rodent-borne infectious diseases most often associated with flooding disasters, leptospirosis (LS), and the Hantavirus-caused diseases, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS); to describe the epidemiology and presenting clinical manifestations and outcomes of these rodent-borne infectious diseases; and to recommend both prophylactic therapies and effective control and prevention strategies for rodent-borne infectious diseases.Design: Internet search engines, including Google®, Google Scholar®, Pub Med, Medline, and Ovid, were queried with the key words as search terms to examine the latest scientific articles on rodent-borne infectious disease outbreaks in the United States and worldwide to describe the epidemiology and presenting clinical manifestations and outcomes of LS and Hantavirus outbreaks.Setting: Not applicable.Participants: Not applicable.Interventions: Not applicable.Main outcome measure: Rodent-borne infectious disease outbreaks following heavy rainfall and flooding disasters.Results: Heavy rainfall encourages excessive wild grass seed production that supports increased outdoor rodent population densities; and flooding forces rodents from their burrows near water sources into the built environment and closer to humans. Conclusions: Healthcare providers should maintain high levels of suspicion for LS in patients developing febrile illnesses after contaminated freshwater exposures following heavy rainfall, flooding, and evenfreshwater recreational events; and for Hantavirus-caused infectious diseases in patients with hemorrhagic fevers that progress rapidly to respiratory or renal failure following rodent exposures.

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